Slavery Still Exists: Worried Mom Tackles Craigslist

by Sarah Jakiel · 2009-03-10 13:00:00 UTC
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Each year, thousands of men and women just like you help victims of human trafficking get one step closer to safety by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888 to report human trafficking.  Please, if you see something suspicious, report it.  The following is a real life story.

A woman from Southern Iowa found the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline number posted on Craigslist and called to inquire about removing a posting that contained graphic sexual images of her 16 year old daughter, Cecile*. She said Cecile had recently begun to stay out all night with her new boyfriend, Greg.  She had ever met Greg, but she knew Greg was almost 30, and that he had met Cecile at the mall.  Cecile had not come home for the last 4 days, and her mother had worried, even though Cecile had gone missing before.

The worry got worse earlier that day, when Cecile's brother Matthew told his mom he'd found several postings on Chicago's Craigslist site in the Erotic Services section that showed graphic pictures of his sister with the name Ashley - and a header that read "Sexy * Petite * Blond * 18 In&Out Call - Chicago".

The Resource Call Specialist who answered the phone described to the caller what human trafficking means and explained the specialized services available to victims of human trafficking, like Cecile.   She discussed the different avenues available to try and help the caller's daughter and suggested local anti-trafficking agencies in Illinois and Iowa that could provide support to the mother and direct services to Cecile when she was found. The Call Specialist also offered to connect the mother with a specialized federal law enforcement task force in Chicago that works on the commercial sexual exploitation of minors.

The mother called back several months later, thanking the Call Specialist for her help and indicating that her daughter had indeed been forced into prostitution by a pimp, but had been found 2 weeks after her original call was placed.  Thanks to her concerned mother, Cecile is now accessing extensive mental health services and trying to put the pieces of her life back together.

*Names and details have been changed to protect the identity and anonymity of those who call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center

Sarah Jakiel
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